Guarded ✔️

Chapter 28

These suitors were really starting to get on my nerves. They followed me everywhere. I would add in polite conversation when absolutely necessary, but I'm pretty sure I made it clear that I'm not interested.

"Princess, fancy a walk in the gardens?" Erix asked as I passed. He was the most outspoken.

"Busy," I said and kept walking.

"Braelynn, can I talk to you?" another person asked.

"I said I'm busy."

"Okay, sorry," I recognized the voice as Kellan.

"Oh, hey, sorry I thought you were another suitor," I apologized and caught up with him.  "What did you need?"

"Mother asked me to clean out Father's office, and I want you to help me. I don't think I can do it alone," he said.

"Of course, Kell," I said and we walked there.

I had stayed true to my word about not crying over my father. I remembered only the good times. I hope that would stay the same when I went through his stuff.

We sorted through piles of paper, most of them rebel battle plans that we threw out. There hadn't been any more attacks. Plus, we would have to make new ones now that we didn't have the Buren's rebel troops.

My father didn't keep much in his office, so we were done quickly. The last thing to clean was his desk.

Kellan lifted the paperweight on the desk, holding it up to show me. My throat constricted a little, remembering when he tried to beat me with that.

"Garbage," I said and he threw it away.

Maddon and I went back to my room.

"What do you want to do?" he asked.

"I think you know," I said with a smirk.

"Do I?"

"Mhm," I nodded my head.

"I don't think I do.  Care to show me?"

I raised my eyebrows and slinked over to Maddon.  He rested his hands on my waist, looking down into my eyes.  I stood on my tiptoes and hovered my lips under his, only brushing slightly before pulling back.

"Hey, that's mean," Maddon whined.

"Now you know how it feels whenever I wanted to kiss you and you would pull away."

"Luckily," he said, stepping closer and putting his hands back on my hips.  "We don't have to worry about that anymore, now do we?"

I bit my lip and looked up at his face, knowing it would drive him crazy.  His gaze flickered to my lips before traveling back up to my eyes.

I reached up and gently pressed my lips to his.  He pulled me by the hips and closed the distance between us, as we always did.

Things heated up pretty fast.  His hands rubbed up and down my sides, feeling the curves of my body.  I toyed with the hair at the nape of his neck. 

Maddon bit my bottom lip, making me gasp for air.  That was enough room for him to enter my mouth.  Our tongues clashed together in perfect rhythm.

Maddon's hand slipped off my shoulder, accidentally pulling down the sleeve of my dress.  He fumbled to put it back, but I swatted him away, pushing him back onto the bed.  My fingers started at the buttons of his guard uniform, frantically trying to undo them.  Maddon pulled away just long enough to shrug off the jacket and throw it on the floor.

I ran my hands down his muscled arms, now exposed to the air in a tight navy blue t-shirt.  I felt his muscles move as he laid back on the bed, pulling me on top of him.  He worked at the other sleeve of my dress, pulling it farther down my arm and rubbing the skin of my collarbone.

I let out a moan and adjusted so I was straddling him.  He reached for my hairband next, which held my hair up in a braided crown.  He ripped it out and ran his fingers through my waves.

The door flew open.  Both of us started and pulled apart, me accidentally biting Maddon's lip.  Kellan screamed and covered his eyes with his hand.  He slammed the door closed.

I sat up, still straddling Maddon.

"Oh my gosh," I whispered, panting and running a hand through my hair.

Kellan just walked in on us.

"What are we going to do?" Maddon breathed.

"We have to go after him," I said.

"We?"

"Well I wasn't kissing myself," I laughed and got off the bed, pulling up my sleeves.  Maddon stood up too, ready to go.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" I asked him, eyebrows raised.

"What?"

"As much as I would love for you to keep it off, I don't think my mother would appreciate you walking around without your jacket on," I said.

"Right," Maddon said and slipped it on.  He hurriedly buttoned it up and we opened the door.  Kellan was just in front of us, walking the other way.

"Kellan, wait!" I called, making him whip around.

"Please don't tell anyone," I begged.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

"Because it's better if no one knows," I said.

"I wouldn't have told anyone," he said.  "I won't tell anyone, promise."

I let out a sigh of relief.  I knew he was telling the truth.

"I was just coming in to tell you something, and I walk in on that," he wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"We weren't doing anything...bad," Maddon said.

"I would think a guard kissing a princess would be considered bad.  Correction, a guard making out with a princess," Kellan said.  "But don't sweat it, we've all had our fair share of forbidden relationships around here."

I laughed, remembering when Kellan was thirteen and had a thing for one of the servant's daughters.  Mother caught them together and that was pretty much the end of it.

"But listen here, Mr. Maddon, I may be the little brother, but if you hurt my sister, I can do some serious damage," Kellan threatened and I stifled a laugh.  "I'm not joking," he said.

"Whatever, Kell.  What did you come over here to tell me?" I said.

"Oh, right.  Ford's body was just buried.  He's out of our hair forever," Kellan said.

"Good, I'm glad to hear it," I said, even though I had given up caring what happened to Ford after he betrayed me.

"One more thing, I don't care that you two are together, but please, no kissing in front of me," Kellan stated.

"Why? Does it gross you out?" I sneered.

"Yeah, it does."

"In that case," I said, leaning over to Maddon while making kissy noises.

"Ugh!" Kellan yelled and ran down the hallway.  Maddon and I both burst into laughter.

"Now, where were we?"